Dog Days of Summer
by MetalWolfMelody
Summary: The task force is in for a surprise when a new man is sent to work with their team- a dog handler with a sharp bark and even more vicious bite. How long can Ghost put up with his attitude, and what secrets does this man have hidden behind a rough facade?
1. Chapter 1

Apprehension simmered in Ghost's gut, and by the look on the faces of the other men, they felt everything from something similar, to disgust. even to fear. It was apparent in tense faces, tight lips, furrowed brows, and the heavy silence that was over the group like a thick blanket. The only face that wasn't twisted into a visage that mirrored pain was Roach's, who wore a thin half smile. Only Ghost, who knew Roach best of all, was able to detect the lines of worry etched like shadows on his forehead.

This was the day that they had anticipated for over a month now, waiting anxiously for a new arrival. Ghost had learned before the rest of the men, almost two months ago. Their unit was highly skilled, with all the essential pieces to such a critical team. A sniper and his spotter, the never missing team. A fearless, respected leader, found in MacTavish. The never balking point man, which Ghost knew that he was, despite never wanting to praise himself, he knew that the description fit him well. As for the rest of the team, they were loyal to their very bones, braver and more skilled than any men Ghost could have asked for.

But MacTavish had an unwelcome announcement, first for Ghost, then for the rest of the team. Headquarters had thought that they were in need of another piece, another man to fit into the tightly interlocking puzzle that the task force had become. They apparently needed a dog handler, who manned a brutal German shepherd that could sniff out explosives. He was supposed to be the best, cream of the crop, an Army Ranger who had been nominated by everyone that had commanded him for a more elite task. Task Force 141 was the definition of elite, but Ghost knew that in this point in the war, accepting a new man would be more than difficult. These men were hard to trust, and operated a level more intimate than a team- they were a family.

They knew almost nothing of this new man, other than his name, and his list of recommendations and awards that stretched a mile long. His name was Andrew King, twenty five years old, working with the Army Rangers since he was nineteen. Once he turned twenty one, he was accepted into the program to train and work with explosive sniffing dogs. He had trained more than ten of them, and often went on missions with them and their handlers to ensure that they were properly trained. After three years of that, he finally got a dog of his own and went back to the rangers.

And now, obviously, he was coming here. From what Ghost had heard, the dog's name was Zephyr, and was trained to only respond to commands in another language. Additionally, this man came with a call sign, one that was rather appropriate- "Wolf."

Ghost had been given the unpleasant task of informing the men of this, which he chose to do over dinner about a month ago. They were outraged at first, as if this was a deliberate insult to their skills. That slowly shifted to denial, then to anger again, then to reluctant, anxious acceptance. They stood now, waiting with many emotions, for the helicopter that was scheduled to land in the next minute. It was just as Ghost thought this that the far away_ thumpthump_ of helicopter blades fell on his ears, and it was obvious that the other men heard it as well, as they perked up immediately. Shoulders became square and stiff, eyes cold, standing straight and tall as they could, heads pointed towards the sky for any signs of the incoming chopper. The black dot grew and grew, and eventually landed on the helipad in front of the task force, throwing dust into their eyes, though none of them bothered to shield themselves from it.

The blades stopped and the dust cleared in a matter of moments, at which Ghost looked hard at the black helicopter, the door moving slowly, revealing the shadowy silhouette of a man, a dog by his side. With a harsh voice over the sound of the fading engine, the dog jumped out, the massive frame of a German Shepherd landing gracefully on the ground, already in 'uniform,' but it was the man that everyone focused their eyes to.

It was obvious just from the silhouette through the dust that he was huge, somewhere between Ghost and Archer, with a shaggy haircut that came to a rest right over his eyes. His skin was dark, whether naturally or the result of a tan, Ghost couldn't distinguish, but it was accented by black hair and deep brown eyes. The dust settled all the way, and everyone was silent except for the panting dog that sat at Andrew's side. He gave a challenging half smirk, and glared at everyone with cold, emotionless eyes.

"The name's Wolf, glad to meet you. Now can you tell me who's in charge so we can get this show on the road?"

**Thanks for reading! This will be a few chapters (not a long, extensive piece). Feel free to leave me a PM or drop a review with suggestions, critique, or just general comments. Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

The sharp attitude struck Ghost straight off, just like a cold knife. The eyes of the dusty brown German Shepherd stared at him with an accusing shimmer, but Ghost ignored the canine, striding straight up to Wolf so they were just about eye to eye. The fact that the newcomer was taller made no difference to Ghost, who knew nothing of be intimidated or stepped on. The man seemed unaffected by the skull balaclava that stared at him, and the dog stood at his side, a heavy breathing in its throat. Ghost glared at him, growling out his carefully chosen words.

"For now, it's me, soldier, so show a little respect. MacTavish isn't here right now, but I'm more than sure that you know about him already. You will treat both him and me as your superiors. Things around here are a little different, a little less rigid than what you're probably used to. But this isn't an excuse to slack off. I swear to god we'll throw you right into the deep and see if you sink or swim."

Wolf smirked, and snickered. The sound was the only thing left in the wide open space, a deep chuckle that seemed to challenge Ghost's claims. Rolling his neck, Wolf pushed his shoulders back and stared Ghost straight in the eyes again, though Ghost knew that he couldn't see his eyes. The red tinted glasses let him keep his boiling anger hidden. This man was already pissing him off, but the next snarky comment made him clench his fingers. With a cocky smile, Wolf rubbed his dog's head.

"What are you going to tell me next, that there are sharks in the water waiting for me? More so, I'd guess you say they were the sorry lot standing behind you. Let me tell you, I can swim alright, and so can Zephyr here. His bite is sharper than any words you can try and throw in my face, skull man. So give me your worse. See what happens."

Ghost swore he was on the verge of exploding in rage. There was no time before than someone had been so blatantly disrespectful to him, not even in jesting behavior. There were no other men who dared carry such an attitude in the elite soldier's presence. But the fiery eyes and tense face muscles were cleverly hidden behind his mask, with a cool voice that ran like ice water despite Ghost's rage. One of his skills was knowing just what to say, and today was no exception. He took a deep breath, and responded as he knew he was able to.

"If you really wish to challenge your superior somehow, tell me how you would prefer. We can settle this on the range; give an accuracy challenge if that suits your fancy. What about at military history, a written test if you please. And if you really want to be crass, put up your fists and we can settle it that way. Whatever the case, I am confident in my men, my ability, and my skills. You have yet to be judged. There's nothing other than paper in my hands on you, King. And let me tell you, considering that this is your team, I think you have a while to go before they have any sort of trust in you."

Wolf threw his head back and let out a loud, howling laughter. The dog never took his eyes off of Ghost, but Wolf freely shifted his stance and looked behind Ghost at the rest of the task force. Crossing his arms, Wolf smiled a broad smile.

"You don't need anything to prove my loyalty. You don't need to trust me. You need to trust that I'll do my job. Which that paperwork you speak of more than proves, doesn't it? So that's all that you need to settle this. I do my job, and I do it well. You can trust I'll do that. I didn't ask for this. I'm not here to make friends; I'm not here to be a buddy to any of you. My only true partner is Zephyr, and I have to say only one for him to tear you apart. I'm here to make sure you don't get blown to shreds, as is he. A word for the wise, don't touch him. No one can but me. I'm not sure if any of you young men have ever worked in a platoon with a dog before, but he responds to me and only me. Don't get to close. Your man here, the man in the mask, is getting a little close. Zephyr doesn't like that."

Ghost felt the rage simmer in him again, but heard the words and message that Wolf was trying to get across loud and clear. His brash manner was part of him, but his skills were superb according to his previous superiors. But Ghost wasn't asking Wolf to make friends; Ghost hadn't said anything before Wolf had immediately jumped on him with words sharper than the fangs on his dog.

Before Ghost could give a decent rebuttal to the short lived, fiery speech that Wolf gave, the tall man shouldered past him towards the various buildings, calling out over his shoulder, Zephyr following at his heels without a word.

"If anyone cares to tell me where the barracks are, or more importantly, my room, I would be pleased. If you don't want to, I'll find them myself."

Ghost watched the man walk through the dust, dog at his heels, words still hanging in the air like a poisonous gas. The man could fend for himself; it was the team that Ghost knew and trusted that mattered right now. And if they felt anything, they were twice as shell shocked as Ghost was at the man's attitude and behavior. Ghost turned to his men, who all had different expressions, anger was present in all of them in some way. Roach had long since dropped his happy, carefree smile, and the youngest was the first to speak, and he only said three words.

"Oh my god"

**Thanks for reading the second chapter of "Dog Days of Summer," the chapter which first introduces Wolf's attitude. Feel free to drop me a PM or review with critique, suggestions, or general comments. Thanks again!**


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